Chapter 445

〈 Chapter 445 〉 Part 1, Chapter 19, Section 1

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November 7th.

It had been quite some time since the Azidahaka Gates erupted globally. The locally opened Dimensional Gates scattered across the world caused massive casualties, making it seem like Earth was on the brink of destruction.

But in the end, humanity’s crises are always resolved when heroes step up. Whether these heroes are an elite few or a common majority depends on the situation—but at least regarding the smooth containment of the Azidahaka Gates, it was the extraordinary few who saved the world.

The Four Goddesses.

The world couldn’t stop praising the four women who traveled the globe and crushed dragons like paper or sliced them apart effortlessly. While some were already widely known for their names and faces, there was also a girl no one had ever seen before.

Yu Yinghuo, the leader of the Council of Elders and a commander who had returned to duty after a long hiatus without killing a single hero, officially declared them as the Four Goddesses due to public demand.

Though the Ice Goddess flew into a rage, flipping the East Sea with flames, it caused no damage. The overwhelming might displayed by the four goddesses gave people hope and even made them think, “Maybe we can destroy an incoming planet too.”

But that hope turned out to be nothing more than wishful thinking.

– Only the Ferryman himself can break the Ferryman.

Karna, who boasted the most formidable destructive power, firmly crushed the people’s hopes with cold words. As people began whispering about who he might be, Karna dropped another bombshell.

– Even if you freeze him, he will eventually break free from the ice.

– If you bury him, he’ll contaminate the entire ground and cause earthquakes.

All the goddesses admitted they couldn’t handle the threat of Pluto. Eventually, people learned that Pluto had crossed Jupiter’s orbit and was nearing Mars, leaving only about two weeks until it reached Earth. This drove the populace nearly insane with anxiety.

– Trust the Four Goddesses! They are the only way to save the Earth!

– The goddesses are nothing but a fabrication of female supremacists! It’s just a coincidence that the strongest ones happened to be women!

– Blazing Phoenix Revival!!

Amidst all the chaos and misinformation, people finally sought out the world’s greatest Oracle—a being who had perfectly predicted everything about Pluto’s journey except the date.

– I am powerless now. I know nothing.

This was what Oracle told the citizens while dragging two suitcases to the airport after his private jet was wrecked by an angry mob and traitorous maintenance crew.

– However… there is one thing I do know.

Oracle removed his hat with a melancholy expression. His once-vivid pink hair had turned gray, and stress seemed to have caused significant hair loss, revealing a white scalp.

– It was the final prophecy left behind by the previous Oracle and the last one I saw.

Oracle dropped a bombshell. The journalists and bystanders clinging to him were stunned and tried to ask follow-up questions, but Oracle covered the microphone and spoke again.

– And the first prophecy I saw upon awakening my special ability was…

Oracle dropped a nuclear bomb this time.

– If all strawberries disappear, the world will face its doom.

With those words, Oracle boarded a plane back to Korea.

* * *

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“It’s been such a long time. I’ve been wanting to meet you someday, but finding the time was really hard. It’s truly an honor to finally meet you, Mr. Drumph.”

“…Can you just call me by my alias?”

“Of course. Oracle.”

I offered Oracle tea. Knowing his preferences well, I presented him with a cola featuring a logo blending blue and red circles. Oracle glared at it for a long moment before grinding his teeth.

“I don’t like this.”

“I know, but all colas are pretty much the same, right?”

“…I’m tolerating this, barely.”

Oracle popped open the can and chugged it down, then his expression twisted strangely.

“This tastes a bit off…”

“It’s Coca-Cola. The contents have been swapped. You’re clearly addicted to colas.”

“…Are you messing with me?”

“Compared to your slip-ups, this is cheap revenge.”

At my sharp comment, Oracle scratched his cheek. His hair, showing early signs of stress-induced baldness, evoked pity, but the verbal diarrhea he hurled at me was utterly humiliating.

“That day… the day we met near the Yalu River, I proposed a deal to you.”

“…Yeah. Privately, through this.”

Oracle tapped his Magical Gear. Back then, it was a smartwatch, but without saying a word, we formed a covert contract via the Black Market’s underground accounts.

“You initiated contact through a secret account created solely for you and revealed the final prophecy known only to the previous Oracle. We struck a deal, and knowing the future of doom, you subtly supported me as I aimed to prevent it.”

Although Rusalka played a major role in between, meeting Oracle and forming this alliance became the backdrop for why the Round Table has half-heartedly supported me until now. Because Oracle trusted me, I avoided conflict with the Round Table, and even Hero powerhouse America refrained from significant interference.

“Politically, your position as the president’s grandson. Heroically, your standing as a member of the world’s strongest Round Table. Culturally, your influence as one of the top 100 global billionaires. Through all these backgrounds, you’ve supported the Blue Wind Sect from afar. You helped process Cores that Korea couldn’t handle properly using yin-yang methods in America. I’m deeply grateful for that. But…”

I covered my mouth with my hand, and Oracle tightly shut his eyes.

“…Prophecy abilities… they’re usually clearest when used for the first time. The same goes for prophecies. Over time, they get filled with metaphors and figures of speech, but when they’re fresh, they’re painfully blunt.”

Oracle rubbed his head tiredly.

“Yeah. That was the content of the first dream I had as Oracle. It was also the strongest spoiler among my prophecies. But…”

Oracle pointed at the strawberry shake sitting in front of me.

“To put it bluntly, aren’t you saying that strawberry-obsessed you are the savior destined to save the world?”

“To be precise, it has another meaning, but it’s not that different.”

While it hinted at entering the Phoenix route in the original story, who would understand if the key to filling in the blanks lies in Juan’s cafe menu board? Those creators were certifiably insane.

“Anyway, because of what you said, strawberries worldwide are now depleted. How do you plan to resolve this situation?”

“Are you seriously blaming me for this now?”

“To me, this is a crucial issue.”

If I skip strawberries for even a day, thorns grow in my mouth. Regular strawberry supply isn’t optional—it’s essential.

“There’s only a two-month supply of strawberries left at Manager Huan’s café. To keep eating strawberries after saving the world, we’ll need to harvest by January next year, but thanks to you, even the seeds are at risk of being eaten.”

Currently, the world is going berserk trying to protect strawberry fields. Heroes are guarding strawberries instead of humans, and all kinds of doom theorists and naturally occurring monsters are raiding strawberry farms and factories.

“If you lead the misinformation campaign, people will gain mental stability and remain calm. What will you do if you don’t?”

“…Wouldn’t it just cause more chaos if I claimed it was just a joke?”

“Naturally. Seriously, even if your future predictions aren’t accurate anymore, how could you use up all your prophecy stock? You had so many yet wasted over a thousand of them!”

Oracle avoided eye contact while picking up the can. He undoubtedly checked things like stocks set to rise 500% next month, Powerball numbers, or scandals involving entertainers affiliated with his company. In the original story, he ends up receiving his last prophecy on Christmas 2024 after using them for personal purposes.

“If you refuse to answer, at least cooperate. We have specialists in misinformation here. This is the Round Table after all—we’re helping people stay calm and plant apple trees while facing the end of the world.”

I held up seven fingers.

“Seven Goddesses. Goddesses will descend to protect Earth and save the world. Announce that a new divine message has come.”

“You want me to scam people with fake prophecies?”

“Just make sure it’s not outright fraud.”

“…Fine. Since I messed up, and because you’re pitiful, I’ll go along with it.”

“…Why am I pitiful?”

“…That’s just how it is. Sigh.”

Oracle continued scratching his head awkwardly. Unfortunately, he scratched the part where stress had caused his hair to fall out, exposing red nail marks on his scalp. Feeling sorry for him, I swallowed my next words along with the strawberry shake.

“…Anyway, Phoenix. Isn’t it supposed to be Four Goddesses? Why Seven?”

“Oh, that? There are three goddesses who haven’t awakened yet. All of them must awaken for a happy ending.”

“…Only two weeks left and we still need three more?”

“Don’t worry.”

I wasn’t worried at all.

“One is ready to awaken, and another decided to settle it with a duel.”

“…What?”

“One of the Seven Goddesses is me. Uh… according to popular terminology, the Sun God of Fire? Strictly speaking, since spirits are genderless, calling her a goddess is debatable, but let’s just lump it together for convenience. Now hurry up and spread misinformation on social media, Oracle.”

Oracle couldn’t find any words to continue.

* * *

Global chaos persisted, overshadowing all issues unrelated to world peace and destruction. Attention focused entirely on strawberries and the Four Goddesses, causing unrelated matters to quietly fade away.

Among the goddesses, Karna, the Goddess of Light, remained a constant subject of gossip related to martial arts called Hwakwon and Garura. Specifically, people were shocked when Karna revealed her true identity.

– The scandal actually involved me transforming into a blonde tanned delinquent and committing acts with a Garura look-alike doll!

Naturally, people didn’t believe it at first. But when she transformed exactly as shown in the video right in the middle of New York Square, half the audience started believing her. When she attempted similar acts with a bio-android Garuda in front of the real Garura, 99% of the public came to accept the truth.

– What kind of drug did you take to do such crazy things?

– It was all to lure Azidahaka!!

Fortunately, her attempt to commit indecent acts with the bio-android Garuda was thwarted when she was buried alive by a genuine goddess. The still-unrevealed “Goddess of Earth” buried Karna’s body in the ground, leaving only her face exposed, as she announced the truth to the world.

The bait-and-switch operation involving Hwakwon and Azidahaka.

The discovery of Azidahaka’s base.

And Agent P’s subsequent destruction of Azidahaka’s base.

During this process, Dimensional Gates appeared worldwide, but with Azidahaka’s destruction, no artificial gates emerged anymore. For the past two weeks, not a single gate had opened, and there hadn’t been any monster reactions either. It was quiet enough to claim Earth had regained peace—if not for the issue of Pluto.

If the Pluto problem could be solved, Earth would dare to call itself peaceful.

If only the issues with Seongju and interdimensional spirits were resolved, I too could enjoy a peaceful life.

“So, in order to achieve perfect world peace, you need to synchronize with a human. Got it?”

“M-mu, impossible….”

For that peaceful life, I assigned Angue the mission of highest difficulty.